According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sappington Crude Oil repeatedly violated the Safe Drinking Water Act by injecting fluids into the environment at pressures exceeding legal limits. They clocked in a series of 12 documented exceedances in 2018 which risked the integrity of underground drinking water sources!
Ya know…. the underground drinking water sources that people rely on to not die? Yes, that one -.-
While the evil corporation eventually agreed to a financial settlement, the incident highlights a chilling reality: under our current system, the safety of the public’s water is often treated as a secondary concern to the operational convenience of the oil industry.
Please continue reading. Below, we expose the specific timeline of these violations and examine the systemic rot that allows corporate greed to jeopardize public health.
The Illusion of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Oil Patch
In our modern day neoliberal capitalistic economy, we often get told that corporate social responsibility is a self-regulating force. We are mistakenly led to believe that companies like Sappington Crude Oil value the “primacy” of the environment as much as their profit margins. HAH!!
However, the reality of corporate pollution tells a different story… one where the “subsurface emplacement of fluids” is handled with a reckless disregard for the potential public health impact.
When a pollution loving company exceeds “maximum injection pressure,” they aren’t just breaking a technical rule; they are risking the structural integrity of the earth itself.
High pressure can crack the geological layers meant to keep toxic salt water away from the aquifers that supply Michigan’s families. In the eyes of corporate ethics, a fine is often just a “cost of doing business,” a small tax paid to the state for the privilege of endangering the commons.
A Timeline of Systemic Negligence
The following table outlines the documented failures of Sappington Crude Oil to maintain the safety standards required by their federal permit.
Timeline of Misconduct
| Date | Event / Violation | Impact on Safety |
| August 4, 11, 18, 25, 31 (2018) | Exceedance of 0 psig injection pressure. | Risked rupture of the confining zone. |
| September 1, 8, 15, 22, 31 (2018) | Continued pressure exceedances over five separate days. | Repeated stress on geological barriers. |
| November 3, 30 (2018) | Final documented pressure violations for the year. | Ongoing non-compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. |
| June 7, 2023 | EPA issues a Notice of Violation (NOV). | Formal recognition of the threat to public water. |
| January 2024 | Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) filed. | Corporate admission of jurisdiction, if not guilty. |
Neoliberal Capitalism and the Wealth Disparity of Justice
The economic fallout of this case isn’t felt by the fat cat executives of Sappington Crude Oil who green lit this pollution, but it’s the surrounding local community which must needs bear the risk.
The penalty of $22,457.36 is a pittance when weighed against the catastrophic cost of a contaminated public water system. This represents the inherent wealth disparity in our legal system: a corporation can risk the health of thousands for months, yet pay a fine that wouldn’t even cover the yearly salary of the technician supposed to be monitoring the well.
This is corporate greed in its most clinical form.
By failing to apply for a permit modification until forced by an enforcement action, the company prioritized its own bottom line over the legal and moral obligation to protect the “Safe Drinking Water” the act is named after!
Corporate Accountability vs. The Public Good
True corporate accountability would require more than a five-figure check and a promise to fill out more paperwork. It would require a fundamental shift away from a system where the environment is an “externality” to be exploited. When we allow corporate pollution to be settled through quiet administrative orders that literally nobody except for this website’s readers ever even knows happened, we’re basically sending the signal that the health of our children and the purity of our water are negotiable commodities.
I command you to click on this EPA link to view the consent agreement and fact check my article: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/FF46DBECFA8B774885258AB3004D0E6E/$File/SDWA-05-2024-0002_FINALCAFO_SappingtonCrudeOil_WestBranchMichigan_15PGS.pdf
💡 Explore Corporate Misconduct by Category
Corporations harm people every day — from wage theft to pollution. Learn more by exploring key areas of injustice.
- 💀 Product Safety Violations — When companies risk lives for profit.
- 🌿 Environmental Violations — Pollution, ecological collapse, and unchecked greed.
- 💼 Labor Exploitation — Wage theft, worker abuse, and unsafe conditions.
- 🛡️ Data Breaches & Privacy Abuses — Misuse and mishandling of personal information.
- 💵 Financial Fraud & Corruption — Lies, scams, and executive impunity.